Improvement in car-cotjpling



J. w. CURRIER.

Car Coupling. No. 90.730. Patentd' June 1, 1869;

dial/ted $1.2m

atmd Gti'jiirlcr.

Letters Patent No. 90,7

3 dated June 1, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLING.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern- Be it known that I, JOHN W. CURRIER, of Springfield, Hampden county, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Ooupllngs and I-do hereby declare that the followingis a full and clear description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters 'of reference marked thereon.

1n the drawings- Figures I, II,.III, and IV show side views of my hunters, with the shackle in different positions; while Figure V is an end view of Fig. I; and

Figure V1 is a plan view of the shackle. My coupling is a self-acting one, only requiring the setting ofthe shackle in order to make it couple when the -bunters strike.

The hunters A and B are formed plain, without rigging of any sort, and consist of books, open at the top, over which the link is put, in order to fasten them together. g

This link Fmay be made plain, as shown in Fig. VI, but with a flange, a, at one or both ends, so that it can be set up, as shown in Fig. II, in the socket G of one of the hunters.

In this case I ordinarily construct the hunters with the laps H and H, whichprevent the link from jostling out when in place; theiaps fitting over eachend of the shackle, as shown' in Fig. 1V, when the cars are coupled.

NVhen a chain-coupling, C, is used, these laps are not necessary, as the chain will not jostle off of itself.

In this case the hunters are constructed as shown in Fig. I, and a. supporting-pin, D, is used to set up the 1ink, as shown in this figure also, fitting into sockets E in either hunter, the socket being usually formed in'the head of the hook. v

The method of operating my coupling is simply setting up the link or} chain-shackle,'as seen in the drawings and when the bnnters'strike, the link or shackle, falls over the hunter, coming against the one upon which it has been so set.

WVhen the cars start again the link is pulled in place, where it is confined by the laps, as already stated.

The advantages of this arrangement are, that the brakesman has plenty of time to get out of the way aftersetting the link, and the cars then couple themselves.

Also, when it is desired to uncouple them, the operation is easily performed by lifting the link ofi either hook.

Besides this, in case the ear ahead runs ofl' the track, the coupling is pretty sure to come unF-astened, the hook drawing down out of the link.

My device is simple, without any machinery, and is more cheaply constructed than those now in general use.

Now, having described my invention,

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, ist The hunters A and B, provided with laps H and H, and sockets G, when combined with the link F, constructed with .flange a, in. the manner and for the 

